eComStation 2.0 beta 1 is available for eCS Software Subscribers. The most significant updates on this beta version are: SNAP/ENT, the special licensed version of SNAP by Serenity is in there, we boot SNAP directly from CD-ROM; bootable JFS, this version is able to install on bootable JFS volumes; ACPI, this version installs and detects ACPI.

I was one of the petition signers, as I hope were a lot of OSNews readers. If the only thing holding back the open sourcing of OS/2 was the Windows compatibility code, then I say "rip it out!". We don't really need 16-bit Windows compatibility any longer anyway.

We don't need HPFS(386) support either. JFS should be good enough for OS/2 (not to mention it's also partly Microsoft's property).

I'd rather have the Mach-based WorkplaceOS (OS/2 PowerPC) be open-sourced. Unfortunately it wasn't *really* finished and it only suppported a select few systems. Would WorklpaceOS in its current state be more 'complete' than OS/2 Intel minus Microsoft's property?

Alas the reality is that it's questionable whether it has a better chance of being released than OS/2 Intel, if at all.